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CONTAINING THE 



iliii 






FROM ITS ORIGANIZATION TO THE PRESENT, 

DELIVERED BY 

y. 



At Lebanon, Indiana, July 4r, 1876. 



-AND 



ON THE 



^istoff and ^rowtli of ^[esbfterianism 

IN BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA, 



DELIVERED BY 



^t m% «i 



In the Presbyterian Church at Lebanon, Ind., July 2, 1876. 



• LEBANON, IND.: 

M. M. MANNER, PRINTER AND BINDER, I'ATRIOT HUILDING 

1 876. 




Boone County. 



A BKIEF HISTORICAL COMPENDIUM OF ITS EARLY HISTORY 

TO JULY 4, 1S76. 



BY STI^PHEiSr NEAL. 



Fellow Citizens : Bein^ assem- 
bled here to commemorate the cen- 
tennial anniversary of our National 
Independence, let us hope, that with- 
out regard to denominations, class, 
party, or distinctive orders, you all 
can cheerfully and heartily partici- 
pate in tiO common a purpose. 

Pursuent to the task to me as- 
signed by your committee, and in 
comformity to a resolution of Con- 
gress and the recommendation of 
the President of the United States 
and the Governor of your State, it 
has been made my duty, on this oc- 
casion, to present you a brief histor- 
ical sketch of Boone county. 

The limits allotted for this, will 
admit of nothing more than a mere 
outline histoiical compendium. You 
can hardly expect or desire any- 
thing more. I shall be compelled to 
omit many events and incidents and 
much of the facts and details which 
should properly be included in a 
complete history of your county. 

From the great amount of mater- 
ials constituting the history of the 
county, I shall aim to select such 
portions only, as may seem most ap- 
propriate for the occasion, expecting 
you to make due allowance for the 



omission of much that is of interest. 
While the history of pioneer life, 
the varied, rough hewed events at- 
tending the first settlements, as well 
as the growth and subsequent pros- 
perity of any country, must ever be 
attractive and entertaining, that of 
our own county lies so near us, and 
is so modern and homely, that around 
it is thrown no false glory, calcula- 
ted to lend any fanciful enchantment 
to the view, or robe the story in ro- 
mantic hue. Our theme bears us 
over no unvoyagable space, nor yet . 
does it lie within the star dust realm 
of inventive imagination. It is real 
and substantial, and as homely as 
home itself. It pertains to a sub- 
ject positively palpable, to real temt 
^jirimi; or, if you object to that, we 
"will say, it pertains ^o what was once 
a humid wilderness of deep forests, 
wild Indians, wild animals, and much 
wet marshy land, which subsequent- 
ly became the abode of civilization, 
accompanied with great improve- 
ments, and has been the scene of 
much toil, great industry, many 
hardships and great achievements. 
Such is our theme ; it is a plain 
unpathetic story, unadorned by any 
foreign romance or brilliant fiction. 



HITORY OF BOONE COUNTY, 



You should, however, esteem it none 
the less on this account. It is 
worthy of being perpetuated among 
the annals of your county. It is an 
enduring monument to the industry, 
the perseverance, and the labor of 
yourselves and the hardy pioneers 
who here first made settlement. 
There are among us here to-day, 
some, who if they were not the first, 
were among the first, who made set- 
tlement in this county, and who can 
well remember the. early events and 
incidents attendant thereupon, as 
well as the then condition of the 
country. 

And although here, tliere blew no 
"Sabean odors from the spicy shore 
of Araby the blest." still this land 
was more richly dowered than any 
ancient and modern Arabian realm : 
for there extend the arid, torrid 
wastes of burning sand, where pass- 
ing, blew the deadly Harmattan 
winds, and scorch and consume all 
vital force of vegetable life : but not 
so here, where in rich luxur- 
iance, grew the deep umbrageous 
shades and shelterings cool ; nor 
were there wanting scenes to attract 
and engage the attention of the 
comers among these piimeval groves, 
where the undergrowth of shrubs 
and tangling bushes perplexed all 
path of man or beast that here would 
pass. 

The first immigrants can well re- 
call their solitary journeyings 
through the almo-t unbroken wilder- 
ness, following as best they could, 
the tree-marked ways, often en- 
countering and passing through or 
swamping down as the case might 
be, in the soft yielding, porous 
sloughs or marshy lands, meanwhile 
encompassed on every hand, or rath- 
er on every shore, by the almost im- 
penetrable wild woods where many 
of the trees grew an hundred feet in 
height, and beneath and amorg all 
these, the weeds, wild grass, and the 
luxuriant wild pea vine, altogether 
forming a growth so dense tha« it 
was impervious to the sun's rays at 
noon-day. 



The scene was sad, the wilderness a wild 
Aud mau no hermit then, for woman smiied. 

Yes ; your industrious and econ- 
omical mothers patiently and cheer- 
fully endured their share of the toil, 
the privations, and the hardships of 
pioneer life, and side by side with 
your fathers, con^tributed to build up 
the cheerful and comfortable homes 
which you to-day enjoy. But many 
of them have ceased from their la- 
bors and have passed awav. And 
these awful groves have not been 
without their solemn worship. 

"Formercy, from her golden urn," 
Poured a rich stream to them that mourned ; 
Behold, she bound, with tender care, 
The bleeding l)03oms of despair." 

Yet some of you who are here can 
well remember those earlv hardships, 
privations, toils aud discourage- 
ments which you had to encounter ; 
but in your determined resolutions, 
you never seemed once to have an- 
ticipated a failure. You pressed on- 
ward in the line of duty, never ask- 
ing, "Is the route practicable ?" 
You took it for granted that it was 
possible to make homes and a living 
for yourselves and families, though 
encompassed on every hand by such 
a wilderness : and your determined 
resolutions crowned your success ; 
and you have lived to see the 
glory of your hard earned achieve- 
ments. 

You have lived to see the wilder- 
ness transformed into one of the fin- 
est and most productive agricultural 
counties in the State. The vast for- 
ests have mostly been cleared away, 
the lands nearly all enclosed with 
fencing, drained and set in grass or 
reduced to tillage ; towns and vil- 
lages in many places, and fine or 
comfortable homes and improve- 
ments everywhere api)ear. As you 
recall the condition of things here 
fifty years ago, you must say, what a 
change ! so much surpassing our ex- 
pectations, that it seems almost like 
romance. 

But let us still recall the past ; 
how that here amidst the once wild 
woods and unbroken coverts, and 
thickets overgrown, then grotesque 



BY STEPHEN NEAL. 



and wild, duriog many dreary un- 
told ages gone, there had existed 
"the original red men, the tameless 
sons of the forest, occupied in their 
primeval pursuits, the chase of the 
deer, bear and the wild fowls of the 
wilderness which was then also the 
abode of numerous reptiles, snakes 
frogs, lizards, wild '"varments," and 
insects numerous, and clouds uj^on 
clouds of predatory mosquitos, scarce 
less numerous than the ancient lo- 
custs which in Egypt's evil day, dar- 
kened all the land of Nile. And 
when the pioneer recalls these early 
scenes, he well may have some sharp 
reminiscences and afifectingtaoughts. 
At early morn and dewy eve, his 
camp fires were built to repell his 
tierce assailants. He had to encoun- 
ter many real and severe realities. 
To make settlement in such a coun- 
try : to clear away the heavy forests, 
and build improvements amidst such 
surroundings, required courage, per- 
severance and immense labor, no less 
than that which carried the first Na- 
poleon and his unconquerable army 
over the frowning, snow clad Alps. 
Their labor, their achievements were 
greater than his, and far more 
worthy of historic celebrity. He 
wrought in the interest of an unhal- 
lowed ambition and in the pursuit of 
an empty fame ; while our immi- 
grants here labored to subdue and 
remove a wilderness, and develop 
and build up an empire of wealth ; 
and what they have accomplished is 
greater than the achievement of lev- 
eling down the Alpine heights. And 
shall not history accord these noble 
toilers a just meed of praise ? 

It has been only 46 years since 
the Territory now included within 
Boone county, was in the posses- 
sion and the home and hunting 
groiind of roving Indian bands. 

The Eel River tribe of the Miami 
Indians, which was one of the many 
tribes that constituted the powerful 
Confederacy of the Miami's, whose 
capital was at or near the site of 
Post Miami, (since Fort Wayne) had 
Held and occupied the country now 



included within the limits of this 
county, as their special huntingf 
ground. Here before them, their 
fathers had pursued the chase, had 
died and been buried on the banks 
of the many silent streams, with no 
other requiem but the soft music of 
the soughing winds and rustling 
leaves. 

In the year 1828, the United 
States govern 'Tient by purchase and 
by treaty, extinguished forever the 
Miami Reservation, in which the 
limits of Boone county had been in- 
cluded. In the year 1819, these In- 
dians and a few French traders had 
a town with a population of about 
400 inhabitant at the location where 
Thorntown now stands. Yet, not- 
withstanding, the Indian reservation 
was extinguished in 1828, many of 
these Indians loth to give up and 
leave the home and hunting grounds 
of their fathers, remained here, 
following their old pursuit, the 
chase, up to the year 1835, some five 
years after the organization of the 
county. 

In their various wanderings, they 
encamped within the limits of the 
town of Lebanon as late as 1833» 
But that mighty Indian Confederacy 
has vanished ; even the graves of 
their chieftans are unknown ; you 
look in vain for the monumental col- 
umn ; there remains no enduring 
monument to tell that here they ever 
had an existence : the rude bark 
huts and the grove-encompassed 
wigwams are no more ; they have 
disappeared, and like the baseless 
fabric of a vision, left no trace to 
tell that they ever existed, save some 
rude marks on the old forest trees 
of their encampment. 

And now after the lapse of forty- 
six years, what a grand transforma 
tion appears ; transcending in real- 
ities the inventions of the imagina- 
tion in the storj of the Arabian 
Nights. 

The story seems like an old day 
dream. Oar children can scarcely 
believe it true; it seems bo passing 
strange; such a great change m so 



HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY, 



short a time. We ^vbo have been 
here all the while, can hardly realize 
the wonderful transforniation ; little 
by little, day after day, and year af 
ter year, the changes have been pro- 
duced. 

During the winter of the year 
1829. the State Legislature enacted 
a law providing for the organization 
of Boone county, and naming it in 
honor of Daniel Boone, one of the 
celebrated pioneer settlers of Ken- 
tucky; and in pursuence to the law 
aforesaid, the county was organized 
in the year 1830, at which time the 
population of the county, Indians ex- 
cepted, was only G22 persons. 

Up to this time there had been 
but little improvement made. A few 
log cabins had been built, and a few 
small "patches" partly cleared. The 
interior portion of the county con 
tained numerous sloughs and much 
swampy land, varying in size from 
one to live hundred acres, each. The 
sloughs were overgrown with a tall 
growth of rough grass and flags, 
upon which the water during the 
wet seasons of the year, stood vary- 
ing from one inch to three feet in 
depth. The soil in these sloughs 
consists of a decomposed vegetable 
mould, the result of vegetable de- 
composition during, untold ages, 
which soil is a dark loam very fer- 
tile. Such was the condition of the 
county at the time of its organiza- 
tion. It was a wilderness. 

The southeastern portion of the 
county, through which flows Eagle 
creek and its tributaries, has an un- 
dulating surface more or less rolling. 
The northern part of the county, 
through which flows Sugar Creek, 
from east to west, also has an une- 
ven surface though not hilly. The 
western part of the county has part- 
ly an uneven surface. 

The interior or central portions of 
the county contain the highest land 
between the "Wabash and White riv- 
er, and is what might be called the 
summit level — and though it is such 
it is very level land, with not suf- 



ricient slope for the water to run oflf, 
without artificial drains. 

Considering the levelness of the 
surface, the unparalleled fertility of 
the soil and the humidity of the cli- 
mate, supplied by frequent and co- 
pious rains at all reasons of the year, 
and also the fact that everywhere be- 
neath the surface at a depth varying 
from ten to eighteen feet, can be 
found an abundai.t supply of excel- 
lent water for all purposes during 
the year, it is not surprising that the 
first settlers found her^ such a deep 
wilderness of timber, undergrowth, 
flags, weeds, wild grasses, and wild 
vines. And although from the cen- 
tral part of the county the streams 
flow thence to nearly every point of 
the compass, still in many respects 
this land was unlike the Eden, which 
"stretched her line from Auran east- 
ward to tbe royal tow.ers of great 
Seleucia ;" nevertheless its groves 
were as deep and dense as those of 
old, that overshadowed Vallambro- 
sia's ancient vale. The forest trees 
were sugar maple, oak, ash, walnut, 
poplar, Cottonwood, elm, beech, lin- 
den, and many other kinds. And in 
fertility of soil end in capacity for 
productiveness, it might well be 
compared to that of the famous land 
of the Nile, which in the days of 
Rome, was said to have been the 
granary of that great city and from 
which it obtained its supply of 
bread. 

Such would seem to be naturally 
the productive capacity of the soil of 
this county, jn'ovided it should be 
thoroughly drained by artificial drain- 
age and improved to its highest de- 
gree of tillage. 

And here amidst the advantages 
and disadvantages, scarcely fifty- six 
years ago, came the first settlers, who 
were, however, soon followed by 
others, who after having selected 
their locations, cleared away the 
brush and logs, and erected their 
log cabins ; and year after year, little 
by little, they chopped away the un- 
derbrush and felled the heavy forest 
trees, chopped them into logs and 



BY STEPHEN NEAL. 



rolled and burned them. Sueb weie 
the small bef>-innings in the building' 
up and d'evelopinf? of what is now 
Boone county. But who can esti- 
mate the" amount of labor that 
presented itself and lay before these 
determined immi'^rants. We shall 
aim to take a giance at what has 
been accomplished. But if these pi 
oneers had their cares and toils, they 
also had their enjoyments amidst 
these primeval scenes. 

"They saw bv the smoke that so gracefully 

curled 
Above the green elms, that a cottage w.is near. 
And they thought, if there is peace to be found in 

the world, 
A heart that is humble might hope for it here." 

Here they found in the forests an 
abundant supply of wild honey, and 
the most delicious venison. 

The first settlement by our people 
was commenced in what is now Ea- 
gle township, in the year 1823. 

EAriLE TOWNSHIP. 

In this township was made (so far 
as we have learned) the first settle- 
ment in the county, by our people ; 
though the Indians and a few French 
traders, prior to this, had an Indian 
town and trading post at the site 
where Thorntown now stands. In 
the year 1823, Patrick H. Sullivan, 
who is still living and who is here 
to-day, and who yet resides in Eagle 
township, came, he being the first 
pioneer settler in this township, and 
probably the first in the county. He 
came seven years before the county 
was org-anized, while it was a part of 
the Miami Indian Reservation. But 
soon after he settled here other im- 
migrants came : among whom were 
David Hoover. Jacob Sheets, John 
Sheets and William Smith. We can 
fancy that we see their small rough 
log cabins, surrounded by the thick 
tall forests, near the place where Zi- 
onsville now stands. 

Eagle township and Boone county 
were not then known in /tii>i>e. The 
widow Cross, who is a daughter of 
David Hoover, is yet living and 
is a I'esidenfc in Eagle township at 
Zionsville. They came in 1824. The 
Lane and Lowe families came in the 



year 1826. In this township, in a 
rough log house, was held the first 
Circuit Court ever held in the couu- 
tv. David Hoover was the first clerk 
of the Circuit Court. So far as the 
population was concerned, the peo- 
ple of Eagle township was then the 
county or nearly so. When P. H. 
Sullivan came, and for some time af- 
ter, there was neither a white nor a 
black man between where he lived 
and Thorntown. Austin Davenport 
was the first sheriff of the county, 
and Jacob Sheets was the first jus- 
tice of the peace; and William 
Smith was the first constable. These 
were all of Old Efigle ! But from 
then till now what a change ! To- 
day, Eagle township has a popula- 
tion of about three thousand per- 
sons. The wilderness has disap- 
peared. Zionsville is the largest 
town in the township ; it has a pop- 
ulation of about 1,200. It has one 
graded school. All the land in the 
township has been enclosed with 
fencing and mostly well improved. 

J.ICKSOX TOWNSHIP. 

John Gibson, Jacob Tipton, John 
Galvin and Samuel Hughes were 
among the first settlers in this town- 
ship. John Gibson settled there in 
the j-ear 1829, and John Galvin in 
the year 1831. They located at or 
near the present site of Jamestown. 
Jamestown is the principal town in 
the township ; it has a population of 
about 1,000 persons. The whole 
population of the township is about 
3,650 persons. There are ten school 
houses in this township ; one of 
these is occupied by the graded 
school in Jamestown. 

The I. B. & W. railway passes 
through Jamestown and a part of 
the township. The southern portion 
of the township is much the best im- 
proved, containing many desirable, 
nicely undulating farms. One branch 
of Eel Piiver and Raccoon Creek 
passes through this township. 

SUG.^R CREEK TOWNSHIP. 

The names of the.first settlers in this 
township were George Harness, who 



HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY, 



was the first, afterwards, James 
Scott, James VaneatoB, Joshua Burn- 
ham, Nehemiah and George McKin- 
sey, Isaac Morgan, David Daily, 
Zachariah Gapen, William Ken- 
worty and Cornelius Westlall. 
George Harness lived to the ripe old 
age of 108 years, and departed this 
life on the 27th day of February. 
1876, in Deer Creek township, in the 
county ©f Cass, m this State. The 
aforsesaid Cornelius Westfall was 
the original proprietor of the town of 
Thorntown, which town was laid off 
and platted in 1830. 

The settlers above named settled 
in said township during the year 
1827, and thence forward to the 
year 1831. The first child born in 
said township was Mary Sweeney, 
in the year 1827 ; the first marriage 
was John Pauley and Emily Sween- 
ey, in the year 1828 ; the first death 
was that of Mary Ann Westfall, in 
the year 1829. 

The first school house was built 
in 1833, the first church (Presbyter- 
ian) was set in order in the year 1831, 
Claiborn Young, minister, including 
twelve members ; the first Sunday 
School was organized in April, 1834, 
with fifteen scholars, Linsey McCon- 
nel, superintendent ; the first church 
edifice was erected by the Presby- 
terians in 1836. 

The first merchant who set up 
in 'ihorntown was C. H. Baldridge; 
he exchanged his goods for money, 
furs, veni.<-on and ginseng. The 
first postoflfice was held by Robert 
Hammil, the first justice of the peace 
was Benjamin Sweeney, the first 
minister of tie gci-pel was Robert 
Hall, the first lawyer was Eufus A. 
Lockwood. the first tavern keeper 
was Isaac Morgan, the fii-st physi- 
cian was Dr. Farmer, and first hatter 
was Sam Daily. 

This township now has a popula- 
tion of about 4.400 persons. Thorn- 
tow n is its capital ; it has a popula- 
tion of al out 2.* 00 : it has one grad- 
ed school, and eleven school houses 
in the township. Formerly the 



town was the most business town in 
the county. 

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP. 

The first settlers in this township 
so far as we know, were John 
Whitchel, in the year 1829, and also 
John Slocum, Thomas McCann and 
others about the year 1830. The 
town of Mechanicsburg was survey- 
ed and platted in the year 1835, 
Isaac Snow being the original pro- 
prietor of the same. 

This township has a population of 
2.430 inhabitants ; it has ten school 
houses. The farms in this toTUship 
are mostly well improved : the land 
IS mcstlj' rolling. Sugar Creek runs 
through this township- 

PEKEY TOWNSHIP. 

I learn of no settlement in this town- 
ship earlier than the year 1835 or 
1836. Among the first setlers were 
William Turner, Eli Smith, Edmond 
Shirley, John Doyle, Phillip Neal, 
Isaac Smith, Isaac Pennington, Sen. 
and John Howard. 

The population of this township is 
2,200 : it has seven school houses. 
Fayette, or White Lick post office, 
is the principal village ; the land is 
level and the soil very fertile. White 
Lick creek rises in this township and 
flows south. 

WORTH TOWNSHIP. 

This township was the last civil 
township organized in the county: it 
has a population of 2.200: it has eight 
school houses. Whitestown is the 
principal village. 

CLINTON TOW'NSHIP. 

The first settlement in this town- 
ship was made in the northwest cor- 
ner thereof, in the year 1832-33. 
The names of the first settlers were 
William Xelson, Isacc Cassiday and 
James Downing. In the year 1834 
and 1835, Robert Stephenson. A. B. 
Clark, James H. Sami>le and Hugh 
Wiley, Sen. and John Evans settled 
on the banks of Mnd Creek in said' 
township. The first church set iit 
order was in 1837. under the name 
of Associate Reformed, now as the 



BY STEPHEN NEAL. 



United Presbyterians. 

This township has a population of 
about 1,552 inhabitants, with ten 
school houses. Elizaville is the 
principal vallage. Sugar Creek, 
Mud Creek and Brown's Wonder 
flow through the township. Hugh 
Wilev, Sr.. was the original proprie- 
tor of Elizaville. 

JEFFERSON TOWNSHIH. 

This township has a population of 
2,200 : it has twelve school houses. 
Wolf Creek heads in this township, 
and flows northwardly into Sugar 
Creek ; the land is mostly level or 
slightly undulating. 

UNION T0\YNSHIP. 

This township has a population of 
1.180; it has eight school houses. 
Eagle Creek flows southwardly 
through the township. Northfield 
is its principal village ; a portion of 
its lands are undulating, but not too 
much so for farming purposes. 

MARION TOWNSHIP. 

This township has 12 school houses; 
its population is 2.750. Eat^le Creek 
heads in this township ; and also the 
south bi-anch of Sugar Creek heads 
in the north part of the township and 
flows northwardly. 

HARRISON TOWNSHIP. 

The population of this township is 
1,403; it has eight school houses. Its 
villages are New Brunswick and Mil- 
ledgeville. The head waters of Eel 
River flow south-westwardly through 
this township; the surface is mostly 
level, and the soil rich. 

CENTER TOWNSHIP. 

This township includes the central 
portion of the county ; it has now a 
population of near G.GOO inhabitants. 
Lebanon, the capital of the county, 
is situated- near the center of the 
township, and very near the exact 
center of the county. The original 
plat of the town, (now city) was laid 
out by Messrs. Drake & Kinnard, 
"who were the original pvoprie.tor'' of 
the same. They donated to the 
county one third of the town lots, 
and 40 acres of land near the town, 



and also brick and shingles to be ap- 
plied in building the former court 
bouse. The town was laid out by 
them in 1830, soon after the location 
had been selected. Col. Kinnard 
had been chosen one of the commis- 
sioners to select a site for the county 
seat. The rival points claiming this 
honor were Thorntown, Eagle Vil- 
lage and Northlield, The commis- 
sioners examined and considered the 
different localities, and after passing 
from place to place, they fovmd them- 
selves at the spot where Lebanon 
now stands. Col. Kinnard drove a 
stake into the ground and announced 
to the other commissioners that here 
should be the county seat. For a 
while the otlaers objected, but being 
defeated in argument by the Colonel, 
they finally yielded, and here the 
capital of Boone county was fixed. 
The town as yet was no town — that 
is, there was not a man to till the 
ground or to erect a shanty. The 
first settler in the original town plat 
of the town of Lebanon, was Abner 
H. Longley. He says in his first 
visit here in 1832, his wagon became 
'■swamped" south east of Lebanon, 
and he had to leave it to seek assist- 
ance. That a man by the name of 
Benjamin Dun who then resided 
about 3 miles north-west from Leba- 
non, yoked "Buck" and "Bright," 
and accompanied him, and that they 
bi'ought the wagon into the "port of 
Lebanon, without steam or sail." 
(See appendix No. 1.) This first log 
cabin was erected on the corner lot 
at south-west corner of the public 
square, where the marble front build- 
ing now stands. In that rough log 
house was held the first Circuit 
Court in Lebanon ; present. Judge 
Morris, Wm. Quarles and Calvin 
Fletcher, Esqs. The court was held 
partly underneath an arbor in front 
of it, which had been made of green 
forest brushes. This court house 
was also used for kitchen, dining 
room and parlor. It is said that 
when the judge and the two attor- 
neys first came to Lebanon, they re- 
marked, "Here is Lebanon, but 



HISTORY OF BOOXE COUNTY, 



where are the houses ?" As the loj? 
tavern had a sufficient supply of 
boarders, one of the side or associ- 
ate judges, who had to come many 
tniles, brought feed for his horse and 
his own dinner with him, and at noon 
ate his dinner under the shade of 
the trees. John Patterson was the 
second settler, and built the second 
log cabin in Lebanon. In the year 
1833, Wm. M. Smith and family 
came and erected the third log cabin 
in the town. He made the first log 
rolling on the town plat, in 1833. 
He relates that the Indians en- 
camped on the town plat after he 
settled here ; and it surely was a 
rather favorable place to camp, since 
Mr. Smith says that he killed twenty- 
two deer within the limits of the 
town plat, during the first year, 
j^.mong the other early settlers were 
S. S. Brown, J. S. Forsythe, J. C. 
Lane and others of the Lane family, 
also Jonathan H. Rose. During the 
winter of 1835, the trees on the pub 
lie square were felled, and in the 
spring of the year of 1836, the logs | 
were rolled and burned. Lebanon ; 
now contains a population of near ; 
3,000 people. It lias a fine court 
house, to build which cost about j 
$40,000. Besides, it has numerous 
manufacturing establishments, fine 
church edifices, and one excellent 
graded school. It has also two 
banks; and though it has made no 
rapid growth at any time, it has been 
steadily on the increase both in num- 
bers and in improvements. 

As it may be of some interest, we 
here give you a list of the names of 
those who have been elected in the 
county to the more important offices: 

Members of the Lower House of 
the State Legislature — Austin Dav- 
enport, elected iu 1832 and in 1833, 
being the first. Robert H. Hanna- 
man in 1834 and 1835. Abner H. 
Louo-ley in 1836. Joseph E, Hacker 
in 1837. John H. Nelson in 1838 
and 1839. John Christman in 1840 
and 1841. John Christman and 
Jonathan H. Rose in 1842. Benja- 
min Boone in 1843. John Dazan 



and H. G. Hazelrigg in 1844. H. G. 
Hazelrigg in 1845. Stephen Neal in 
1846. Stephen Neal and Hiram 
Blackstoue in 1847. L. C. Dough- 
erty in 1S48 and 1849. John H. 
Nelson and H. M. Marvin in 1850. 
Wm. B. Beach in 1851. Up to this 
time the sessions of the lesfislature 
had been held annually ; afterward 
every two years. Wm. P. Jones in 
1853. NVm. G. Gordon in 1855. E. 
D. Herod and H. M. Marvin in 1857. 
Clark Devol in 1859, Nelson For- 
dice in 1861. Sherman Hostetter in 
1863. Thomas M. Stringer in 1865. 
T. J. Cason in 1865, Joint Repre- 
sentative. A. E. Gordon in 1867, 
1869 and 1871. O. S. Hamilton, 
1859, Joint Representative. C. S. 
Wesner in 1873, for Boone county 
alone. John Higgins in 3873, Joint 
Representative. H. M. Marvin in 
1875. 

Senators of State Legislature from 
Boone county — L. C. Dougherty in 
1850. Thomas J. Cason in 1864. 
A. J. Boone in 1873. 

Sheriffs — Austin Davenport in 
1830. Jacob Tipton in 1832 and 
1834. Wm. Zion in 1836 and 1838. 
John Forsythe in 1840 and 1842. 
Samuel Daily in 1844. Fielding Ut- 
terback in 1846. Wm. Staton in 
1848. John Hazlett in 1850. A. 
W. Larimore in 1852 and 1854. 
John H. Rodman in 1856. "Riley 
Colgrove in 1858 and 1860. John 
Kenworthy in 1862 and 1864. L. B. 
Edwards in 1866. Wm. R. Simp- 
kins in 1868. R. S. Camplin in 1870. 
Wm. R. Simpkins in 1872 : he died, 
and R. S. Camplin held over. Ed- 
ward Reynolds in 1874. 

Delegates to revise the constitu- 
tion — M. Duzau and Wm. McLean, 
in 1851. 

Treasurers — The first Treasurer 
after it was made a separate office, 
was J. T. McLaughHn in 1841, and 
he held the office 9 years. J. J. 
Nesbit in 1850. J. C Daily in 1852 
and 1854. A. H. Shephard in 1856. 
David Kenworthy in 1857 and 1860. 
F. M. Busbv in 1862 and 1804. J. 
H. Dooley inl866 and 1808. Sam- 



BY STEPHEN NRAL. 



9 



uel S. Daily in 1870 and 1872. Wm. 
D. Hudson in 1874. 

Clerks of Circuit Court David 

Hoover, the first, S. S. Brown, John 
Christman, Levi Lane, Wm. C. Kise, 
two terms, H. Shannon, A. C. Daily, 
S. A. Lee, A. O. Miller, and Jesse 
Neff. 

Auditors — A. J. Boone, S. A. Gil- 
more, J, A. Nunn, -Toseph B. Pitzer, 
A. C. Daily, R. W. Matthews, J. M. 
Ball, and J. W. Hedges. 

Recorders of the county — James 
McCann, Thomas P. Miller, Sanford 
Peters, John Thomas, F. M. Davis, 
J. W. Kise, and Wm. Morgan. 

Judges elected in this county — L. 
C Dougherty, Common Pleas. T. 
J. Cason, Common Pleas. W. B. 
Beach was elected of Supreme 
Court ; T. J. Cason to Congress two 
terms. 

Having now passed in rapid review 
the several townships of the county, 
and given the primitive condition of 
the county, together with a list of 
the names of those who have been 
elected in the county to the more im- 
portant officeS; let us now take a 
general view of the county and its 
resources. 

The county is 24 miles long from 
east to west, and 17^ miles wide, 
containing 420- square miles or 
268,800 square acres. The total as- 
sessed valuation of all the real estate 
in the county is about .|10.000,000 ; 
this is far less than its actual value. 
The total taxable valuation of all the 
personal property is !ir3,257,720. 
total actual value of all the property, 
both real and personal, is not less 
than .'^20,000,000. The total annual 
value of all farm products is placed 
at $4,000,000. The county has with- 
in its limits not less than 150 manu- 
facturing establishments, such as 
grist mills, woolen mills, saw mills, 
stave and heading factories, wagon 
and carriage shops, hub and spoke 
factories, tile factories and many 
others. There are about sixty steam 
engines and about six water wheels 
in the county. The manufacturing 
interest affords employment for more 



than 1,000 persons ; which work up 
annually near S^GOO.OOO worth of raw 
material, producing annually about 
$1,000,000 worth of manufactured 
goods. About 40 miles of railway 
traverses the county from south-east 
to north-west, besides another rail- 
way running from east to west is 
nearly completed, thus affording the 
county the facilities of three railways. 
The county contains in the aggregate 
about 30,000 people. There are now 
about 6,000 voters in the county. 
Owing to heavy timber, thick under- 
brush, level surface, and wet, swampy 
porous soil, this county was not 
very attractive to the agriculturist at 
its first settlement, and hence the 
pursuit of wild game and the collec- 
tion of the skins of wild animals, 
wild honey, ginseng and furs were 
considered far more remunerative 
than the pursuit of farming. These 
articles of trafic supplied in great 
measure the place of a currency. At 
that early period of the county's his- 
tory, the only real necessaries for 
the support of a family, were consid- 
ered to be two rifle guns, a supply 
of lead and powder, a barrel of salt, 
a camp kettle, and a couple of dogs. 
The deer, bears, wild turkeys and 
wolves were abundant. The people 
then had need for but little money ; 
they could pay most of their taxes 
in the pelts of the 'coon, the deer 
and the mink. 

The first election held in the coun- 
ty, was on the first Monday of Au- 
gust, 1832, at which the whole vote 
polled in the county, was only 3(>5, 
being the exact number of days in a 
year, a singular coincidence. 

In an early day, this county had 
the unenviable reputation of being 
afflicted with ague, chills, and mala- 
rial fever, as well as with corduroy 
roads, swamps, frogs, mosquitoes, 
and other odious proclivities. Some 
outside "barbarians" called it the 
"State of Boone." and reported that 
some of the inhabitants were "web- 
footed," moss-legged," and even "am- 
phil)ious." But those same babari- 
aus have lived long euougn to see 



10 



HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY, 



the county take her place as the 13th 
county m the State in population, 
and excluding the large cities in the 
other 12 counties, and but very few 
counties in the State to-daj-, will 
equal this, either in population oi in 
agricultural resources. There are 
but few acres of waste land in the 
county, and there is no quarter sec- 
tion wanting in the capacity to make 
a good farm. And yet more than 
half remains untold. Look at the 
thriving towns and villages in differ- 
ent parts of the county. Look at 
the well -improved farms.farm houses, 
fruit orchards, and the graveled and 
ungraveled public highways ; and in 
some places fine iron bridges span- 
ning the larger streams. Look at 
your public buildings — 113 school 
houses, either brick or frame ; also 
many fine church edifices, ard be- 
sides, many excellent lodge buildings 
for the different charitable or benev- 
olent orders. And then consider the 
vast amount of artificial ditching and 
draining that has been made. There 
are to-day not less than 300 miles 
of large artificial drains, open ditches 
cut in the county, much of this aver- 
aging ten feet in depth, and from ten 
to fifteen feet in width. Besides 
these larger drains, there are proba- 
bl}' not less than 2.000 miles of 
smaller artificial drains, made of 
wood or burnt tile. Some may con- 
sider this an o"oer estimate. Let us 
see. There are about 4,000 farms, 
large and small, in the county : sup- 
pose 2,000 of these are more or lessf 
ditched, so as to have one mile of 
ditching on each, this would give 
2,000 miles of. artificial drainage in 
the county. The lands of the county 
now rate at the price ranging from 
$20 to .*100 per acre. I know of no 
tract of land in the county, rating 
below S20 per acre. If j-ou will en- 
compass in one view the whole coun- 
ty including the 4,000 farms, the 
farm buildings and other improve- 
ments on these farms, and the public 
highways — giaveled and ungraveled 
— and ijIso the three railways, and 
the towns and villages, und the many 



manufacturing establishments, and 
also the vast quantity of artificial 
drainage which has been made, and 
then tiT to estimate the amount of 
labor which has been required in the 
accomplishment of all this, I think 
you aaIII agree with me that the same 
amount of labor and toil would have 
leveled the Alpine heights, and that 
it IS greater than the labor endured 
by the army of Darius of Persia, in 
its campaign, when it crossed the 
Danube, and invaded the cold, bar- 
ren country of the invincible Scythi- 
ans. And who will say that the pio- 
neer army of this country, who have 
cleared away a wilderness, and im- 
proved it to what it is, are entitled 
to less praise, or deserve less 
fame than that mighty Persian army ? 
But your pioneer army needs no 
sculptured marble column or storied 
urn to perpetuate their peace achieve- 
ments. They have constructed a 
more valuable and enduring monu- 
ment than that erected by the Am- 
pnion builders of old, who in their 
day, through the ages of aacient 
Theban story, toiled well and fast. 
They wrought in the interest of an 
empty vanity ; while the work of 
5^our hands has been for the practi- 
cal and the useful ; and yet not de- 
void of the Beautiful, for in its many 
excellencies, your coiint}' to-day sur- 
passes old Sharon's rose-clad vale in 
all its ancient gloi'y ; though its 
beauties have been painted by mas- 
terly skill. Yet notwithstanding all 
that these our industrious pioneers 
and their co-workers have achieved, 
the county may be said yet to be only 
in its infancv, compared to what it 
should be fifty years hence, when it 
shall all be thoroughly drained with 
sufficient artificial drainage, and 
tilled to its highest capacity. 

The little republic of San Marino, 
containing a superficial area of only 
21 square miles, has a population of 
8,100 ; while the kingdom of Saxony 
with a superficial area of 5,705 square 
miles, has a population of 1,757,800 
persons ; and according to the same 
ratio per square mile, our county 



BY STEPHEN NEAL. 



11 



wonld have a population of 135,215 
inhabitants. It can be rendered ca- 
pable of furnishing the needful sup- 
plies of life for this number of peo- 



This is no extravagant predic- 



ple. 
tion. 

The view of the yast lends a niystieal lore, 
"And couaing events cast their shadows before." 



Presbyterianism. 



THE GERM AND GROWTH OF THE CHURCH IN LEBANON. 



BY EEV. J. M. BISHOP. 



Isaiah ix-7— "Of tlie increase of His governtuent 
and peace there shall be no end." 



John iii-30- 
crease." 



'He must increase, but I mubt de- 



I select these passages as a motto for 
a discourse on Presbyterianism in Leba- 
non, Boone county, Indiana. 

I. On the texts. Isaiah here gives 
one of the most minutely accurate de- 
scriptions of Christ to be found in the 
Old Testament, and because of its mi- 
nute accuracy it surely was hard to be 
understood before its wonderful fulfill- 
ment. We may imagine the perplexed 
prophet "searching what, or what man- 
ner of time, the spirit of Christ which 
was in him did signify, when it testified 
beforehand the sufferings of Christ and 
the glory which should follow." But if 
perplexing to the writer B. C. 740, how 
plain to the reader A. D. 187fi. 

The text from the Evangelist is an ut- 
terance from John the Baptist, the last 
and the chief of the O. T. forerunners of 
the Savior. As he was less than the 
least in the kingdom of the new dispen- 
sation, we may suppose he, too, very im- 
perfectly comprehended the character of 
the <-)ne he was introducing. But we 
now understand in the light of history, 
what could not in the nature of the case, 
be understood as it existed only in 
prophecy. From the combined passages 
I would draw this theme: 



THE GROWTH OF OHRIST'S KINGDOM ON 
THE EARTH, 

And will consider the subject under 
three heads ; First, The fact of growth; 
Second, Its elements ; Third, the agents. 
1. The Fact OF Growth. — Some have 
very despondent views on this point. — 
Does the kingdom advance ? Some in- 
variably say, it does not ; all occasional- 
ly feel that the cause is at a standstill, 
or going backward. Let us consider 
this question. 

There is a God who is the Creator of 
all existences, not sinful, besides Him- 
self. All beings, sinful as well as holy, 
are under impulses of development, ac- 
cording to the respective nature and 
circumstances of each. To be, is to de-- 
velo»^ ; to develop is to grow. 

Now, the church is not an exception, 
but the most wonderful of all illustra- 
tions of this law. In all pertaining to it 
we see the unfolding of the vital germ. 
The new nature divinely given in re- 
generation grows, and complete sancti- 
ification in heaven gives a more suitable 
field for growth than can be found on 
earth. You may trace the growth of the 
Bible. How little it was once ! Only a 
few verses; then a few chapters; then 
the Old Testament stood, as some think 
finished, for 400 years, from Malachi to 
Matthew. But what would the Old 
Testament have been as the Bikle with- 



12 



PRESBYTERIANISM IX LEBANON, 



out the growth of the New Testament? 
So with reference to the formulated the- 
ology as it comes forth from the word of 
Godj as pious aud profound students 
bring fortli from these pages things new 
and old, placing them in a better ad- 
justed system. What progress! 

If there is this vital growth in and 
out of God's word, much more so, both 
in constancy and value is there growth 
in and out "of God's people. There is no 
gap here between Malachi and Matthew, 
f'rom Abel until now every regenerated 
soul is growing and helping on the king- 
dom. In members the kingdom gr(;ws, 
and in methods of wprk there is develop- 
ment. Of the increase of His govern- 
ment and peace there shall be no end. 

2, The ELEMENTS ot growth. We are 
limited by the text to two, viz: govern- 
ment and peace. Other par.softhe 
Bible much enlarge this elemental cata- 
logue — (t?ee Gal. v-22, Eph. v-9.) But 
it is in harmony with a practical and 
philosophical study of Presbyterianism, 
local or general, to emphasize these two, 
or, uniting them, to notice the growth 
of Christ's kingdom in peaceful govern- 
ment. Uncomplaining — nay, hearty 
submission to law ; noi merely submis- 
sion, but co-operative obedience. Peace- 
lul government implies social life,almost 
as different from individual life as in- 
stinct is different from reason. And yet 
in the individual Christian we see the 
germ of this peaceful government. An 
unrenewed man or woman is a rebel. The 
will has never yielded to God. In re- 
generation Christ begins to rule in and 
over us. 

But a Christian after the manner of a 
conveited Saul "assays to join himself to 
the disciples." He no longer lives to or 
for himself. He weeps with those that 
■weep, rejoicing with those that rejoice. 
He enters with fellow workers the vine- 
yard ; he returns with his sheaves to the 
common garner. The will of the church, 
looking at it from the human stand- 
point, is the result of a fair majority 
vote. Secession is sin, and should be con- 
quered at immense cost. This is our one 
chief glory as Presbyterians, as compared 
with other evangelical denominations, 
peaceful governuient. The grandest 
Epluribub unumthe world has ever seen. 
Our own national unity, is largely an 
outgrowth of Presbyterianism. 

3 The Agents of Geons'th. — Here 
our Calvinislic doctrine is prominent, as 
under the head just considered our dis- 
cipline was prominent. There are two 
agents of church growth, the Divine and 



i the human. Each of them is most dis- 
i tinctly brought out in the Bible. We 
believe in God, the Father, Almighty, 
and in Jesus Christ, his only son, and in 
the Holy Ghost. And this one God is 
the supreme and essential agent ot 
church lirowth. Our religion has God 
in it. One like the Son of man, sent 
from the Father, abides, by tbe Holy 
Ghost, with the elect in their trials and 
triumphs. Hence the church grows. — 
"Goil ordinarily making use of means, 
is yet free to work without, above, and 
against them, at His pleasure." As He 
appears in providi nee and grace, the 
human instrument disappears. The 
lantern is not needed after sunrise. — 
•'None but God is great." And yet it is 
the practical excellency of our theology 
that the instrumental agent merely 
takes a subordinate place in church 
growth, compared and contrasted with 
the Head. It is not annihilated or ab- 
sorbed. Our agency, after regeneration, 
becomes more and more parallel with 
God's activity — never under-valued. A 
cup of cold water is of use, and its giver 
remembered and rewarded. Nor are 
these human agents in each other's way, 
if they could but know it. (1 Cor. 12). — 
\\ hen John the Baptist decreased until 
he suffered martyrdom, the disciples took 
up the body and buried it, and went and 
told Jesus. 

II. Under the inflaence of these princi, 
pies pertaining to the great fact, the ele- 
ments and the agents of church growth, 
I would put in order the history of this 
church. Only one-third of a century do 
we go backward, and yet the wave of 
oblivion makes it difficult to satisfy cu- 
riosity. Our predecessors were modest 
men. Perhaps they under-valued the 
field they were cultivating. They could 
no more see the moral, than the first 
settlers could see the natural, value of 
Boone county, especially of this site of 
Lebanon. 

This Presbyterian Church was organ- 
ized January 3, 1840, by Rev. William 
F. Furgerson,D.D. Of this worthy man I 
have been able to obtain few statistics. 
He was educated at Miami University, 
Oxford, Ohio, aud for several years he 
was Principal of the Gram-i^ar School in 
that institution. He served the O. S, 
Presbyterian Church of Thornto>vn from 
1838 to 1847, a longer time than any 
Pre.sbyterian minister, of either branch 
of the church, lias been able to live in 
Thorntown. I have the names of 23 
ministers who have served that churcU 
since 1833, 



BY REV. J. M. BISHOP 



13 



Dr. Furgerson removed from Indiana 
to Illinois, and died a number of years 
ago, in the office of Presideui of Ma- 
comb College. Rev. t?. X. Evans assist- 
ed Dr. Furgerson at the organization of 
this church. 

Our church records are minute and 
unquestionable as to the date of our or- 
ganization, and yet several living wit- 
nesses testify to the existence of a Pres- 
byterian Church several years previous 
to 1840, and much faithful labor had 
been given to this field by ministers and 
laymen not mentioned on our records. 

Probably, the first Presbyterian 
preacher officiating in Lebanon was Rev. 
Moody Chase, then residing at Danville, 
Hendricks county. His visit was in the 
year 1834 or '5. His special object, he 
says, was to visit a sick man, "Mr. 
Burns, a former acquaintance at Orleans, 
Orange county, and perhaps a member 
of that church." He remained over the 
Sabbath and preached in the old log 
court house (lot 7, block 8) to a congre- 
gation "respectable in size and appear- 
ance." Some months after he again 
came to Lebanon, at an urgent call of a 
former Danville friend, then living here, 
He speaks of the difficulty of finding his 
way to this place — riding seven miles 
without seeing a house. 

Rev. Moody Chase was born in Cor- 
nish, New Hampshire, February 25,LS02; 
fitted for college at Kimbal Union Aca- 
demy ; graduated at Dartmouth Col- 
lege in 1829; was in Andover Theological 
Seminary three years ; was licensed by 
the Andover Congregational Associa- 
tion ; removed immediately to Indiana, 
and was ordained by Salem Presbytery, 
June 7, 1833. He has labored faithfully 
and successfully in Orange, Hendricks 
and Montgomery counties, and now re- 
sides in comfortable circumstances near 
Parkersbugh, Indiana. 

Elder J. H. Benefiel, of Crawfords- 
ville,is about a cotemporaneous witness. 
He came to Lebanon in the winter of 
1835-0, a young man not a professor of 
of religion, but of Presbyterian parents 
and baptism, He came here, as a clerk, 
in a dry goods store, opened by Rose & 
Harris. He says, "the Rey. Claiborn 
Young preached a number of times in 
the old log court house in 1835. Mr. 
Benefiel led the singing of that early 
congregation. He says, "there wa.s a 
very small amount of the Presbyterian 
element here, and little prospect for sev- 
eral years of any increase, but since the 
waters have abated, and the dry land 



appeared, (of excellent quality) things 
have here greatly changed." 

Rev. Claiborn Young was born in 
Hawkins county, Tennessee, October 27, 
1800; received his literary educational 
Maryville College, and was a student of 
theology under Isaac Anderson, D. D. ; 
ordained by the Presbytery of Union in 
1828; the same year he removed to Ed- 
gar county, Illinois. In 1829 he removed 
to Vigo county, Indiana. He came to 
Boone county in 1830. His is the first 
name on the long list of Pre.sbyteriaa 
preachers at Thorn town, where he was 
supply 1833-4835. He died at his farm 
near Thorntown September 9. 186G. — 
Mr. Young or the Rev. Samuel G. Dow- 
ry, or perhaps both of them, probably 
organized the first Presbyterian Church 
in Lebanon, before the division in 1837. 

Rev. Samuel Gardener Lowry was 
born in Wasnington county, Tennessee, 
March 26, 1800. His mother's father 
was the Rev. Samuel Doak, D. D. — 
Young Lowry was educated in Dr. 
Doak's school, first called Martin Aca- 
demy, afterwards Washington College. 
He was taken under the care of West 
Lexington Presbytery in 1819. My 
father was received at the .ame meeting 
into the Presbyterian Church as a min- 
ister, from the Associate Reformed 
Church. Mr. Lowry was licensed by 
Ebenezer Presbytery, October, 1821, 
and ordained in December, the same 
year ; preached at Cabin Creek, Ky ; 
was settled 1822-1825 in Richmond, O. 
Removed to Indiana in 1825 ; was in- 
stalled in. Decatur county 1825-1832. — 
John Finley Crowe, D, D , preached the 
sermon. In 1832 he united with the 
C rawfordsvilie Presbytery, and labored 
faithfully in Parke, Montiromery and 
Hendricks counties. In 1847 he moved 
to Sumner, Minue-ota. 

Elder T. J. McCorkle, of Thorntown, 
writes: "There was a New School Pres- 
byterian Church in Jjebanon before the 
Old fchool was organized." He men- 
tions the names of the Elders and mem- 
bers. Samuel Craig and Jeremiah Cory 
were Elders — the wives of the Elders 
and a son and two daughters of Craig, 
Robert Olive, Mrs. Elizabeth Brown and 
one other lady were the members — ten 
persons in all. 

Rev. Daniel Jones, the .second named 
minister on the Thorntown list, 1839-40 
— and of whom I learn nothing addi- 
tional — preached a few times in Leba- 
non, and possibly had a part in the or- 
ganization of the first church. 

Rev. Thompson Bird, who was settled 



14 



PRESBYTERIANISM IN LEBANON 



as stated supply of the Thorntown Pres- 
byterian Church (Xew School) from 
1840 to 1847 ; did considerable ministe- 
rial work in Lebanon. He was born in 
Caswell county, North Carolina, Janu- 
ary 7, 1804; was graduated at the Uni- 
versity of North Carolina in 1S27 : was 
a tutor in the University; studied the- 
ology in the full course at Andover, 
Massachusetts, After a few years of 
service in his native State and Virginia, 
he settled in Thorntown, through the 
intluence of his class-mate, Prof. C. 
Mills. He removed frona. Indiana to 
Iowa and settled in Des Moines at its 
first location as a town, where he died 
January 5, 1869. His funeral sermon 
was preached by Eev. J. A, Nash, of the 
Baptist Church. This was at the re- 
quest of Mr. Bird. Mr. Nash says: 
"January 3, 1851, 1 came to Des Moines, 
and hence for eighteen years our work 
has crossed and overlaopea all the time." 

The last name which I will mention, as 
connected with this period and organiza- 
tion, is Elder Isaac Cory. He was born in 
Hamilton county, Ohio, May 1796 — now 
is an old man of SO, living near Bloom- 
ington, in this State, He moved to 
this caunty in August, 1841. He, his 
"Wife and three daughters connected 
with the New School Presbyterian 
Church in Lebanon. His brother, Jere- 
miah Cory, was the oniy Elder fit the 
time. Shortly after he came to this 
county, Mr. Bird held a communion 
meeting here, and Isaac Cory and Rob- 
ert Olive were chosen and ordained El- 
aers. In the fall of 1852 Mr. Cory re- 
moved from the county ; the Presbytery 
of Indianapolis disbanded the church, 
and dismissed the remaining members 
to connect with the church in Thorn- 
town, rather than with the O S. Church 
in Lebanon. That was the fashion in 
those days. Thank God, the fashion 
has chanj^ed. 

We turn now to our own records. On 
the 3rd of January, 1840, this church 
was organized with twelve members, 
whose names you have on our printed 
roll. 

1. Eev. Jno. C. Eastman is the first 
minister mentio .ed as serving the 
church. It could only have been an oc- 
casional supply rendered, as he was in 
charge of the first church of Crawford'*- 
ville from 1840 to 1849. He was born 
March 17, 1813, in Bradford, Massachu- 
setts, was educated at Phillips Academy, 
and Amherst College, studied theology, 
and was licensed by Chillicothe Presby- 
tery September 19, 1834. He was first 



settled in Ohio, His last earthly labor 
was as financial agent for Hanoyer Col- 
lege. 

2. Of Rev. N. P. Chariot I only 
learn that he was a member of Craw- 
fordsville Presbytery, and removed many 
years ago to Texas, leaving the Presby- 
terian Church. He united with the 
Episcopal Church, and returning to In- 
diana, was for a short time Rector of 
the Episcopal Church in Crawfordsville. 
He and Eastman were at ihe same meet- 
ings in Lebanon. 

3. Rev. Samuel Newel Evans was 
born in Pulaski county, K'entueky, No- 
vember 12, 1812, was removed by his pa- 
rents to Owen county, Indiana. He 
was educated in his college course at 
Bloomington and Hanover, graduating 
at the latter college, studied theology at 
New Albany, was licensed and ordained 
by Salem Presbytery, labored in Mis- 
souri and Mississippi, returned to Indi- 
ana, supplied at Bedford, came to Thorn- 
town in 1847, removed to Waveland la 
1855, then awhile in Minnesota, which 
he left with the intention of returning 
to Lebanon, but was providenMally led 
to Lane, Illinois, (now Rochelle) where 
on the day after a meeting of Presby- 
tery in his church (a new building 
wa* dedicated on the previous Sabbath) 
he was killed by lightning as he was 
walking in a field, 

4. Rev, Joseph Piatt preached in 
Lebanon in 1853, and now lives in Bar- 
dolph, Illinois, 

5. Rev, Henry W. Bigga was born in 
Frankford, Pennsylvania, March 15, 
1828. He was graduated from Cincin- 
nati College, of which his father, Rev, 
Thomas J. Biggs, D. D., was President 
in 1845. He spent three years in theo- 
logical study at Princeton, New Jersey, 
and was licensed in 1851, and came to 
Lebanon in the summer of that year. 
He was ordained by Crawfordsville, 
Presbytery in 1852. In March, 1853, he 
settled in Princeton, Gibson county, 
Indiana. His next field of labor waa 
Morgantown, Virginia, from 1855 to 
1864, when he removed to Chillicothe, 
Ohio, where he has labored since as pas- 
tor of the 1st Church, 

6. Rev, Peter Rulfson Vanata was 
born April 10. 1814, near Fiemington, 
New Jersey, graduated at Princeton in 
the college in 1840, and from the semi- 
nary in 1843, was licensed by the Pres- 
bytery of Newton in 1842, ordained by 
the Presbytery of jStarion in 1845, and 
was pastor at Marion, Ohio, and in 1847, 
was pastor at Logansport, For sixteen 



BY REV. J. M. BISHOP. 



15 



years he bas been employed by the Amer- 
ican Bible bociety, very successfully. He 
only preached occasionally in Lebanon. 

7. Rev. J. L. Hawkins, was in Leba- 
non in 1S57, and this is all I can learn 
of him. 

8. Rev. John B. Logan was corn in 
Washington county, Virginia, of Scotch- 
Irish parents, July 23. 181S. He re- 
ceived his education mainly in the com- 
mon schools, with one year in the High 
School at Abingdom, Virginia, and his 
theological course wa« pursued private- 
ly. He has labored in the ministry 
eight years in Virginia, ten years in 
Tennessee, and fifteen years in Indiana. 
He supplied this pulpit from Januaay 2, 
1859, to March 13, 1859. At this time 
he is pastor in Seymour. 

9. Rev. Charles K. Thompson was 
born six miles north-east from Vin- 
cennes, Indiana, January 31, 1811. He 
was graduated at Hanover College in 
1834, in the first graduating cl.ass, was a 
student of theology under Dr. Tohu 
Mathews at the Hanover Seminary, was 
licensed by the Presbytery of Madison, 
April, 1837. His first settlement was at 
Carlisle, Sullivan county, Indiana, where 
be was ordained and installed pastor 
Septembei 1839. He remained there 
Dine years, and removed to Covington 
March 1848, to Crawfordsville, in 1850, 
to Darlington October 1354, to Thorn- 
town, April, 1859, supplied Lebanon 
two years while living in Thorntown ; 
removing here " January 1, 1362. 
In November 18(57 he moved to Eliza- 
bethtown, which wss uis home until his 
death, which occurred at Carlisle, Feb- 
ruary 8, 1872. His labors in Boone 
county were of inestimable value. And 
his life, as a whole, was one of remarka- 
ble success. His last labors were the 
most fruithful. 

10. Francis Marion Symmes was born 
November 18, 1827, graduated at Hano- 
Ter College in 1852, and at Princeton 
Theological Seminary in 1855. His 
ministry has been entirely in Indiana. 
First in the Presbytery of Madison 1835 
to 1864, in the Presbytery of New Alba- 
ny 1865 to 1867, in the Presbytery of 
Crawfordsville from 1867 to the present 
time. 

11. John Mason Bishop was born in 
Lexington, Kentucky, April 2, 1819, 
graduated at ^liami University in 1841, 
was licensed by Cincinnati Presbytery 
in 1843, and ordained by La Porte'Pres- 
bytery in 1845. 

Many other ministers, some of them 
of national reputation have yiaited this 



congregation, and are affectionately re- 
membered for their work's sake. Jno. 
S. Craig, son of the first Elder, has 
preached here, John Mitchell, R. H. Al- 
len. D. D., Levi Hughes, D. R. Coltnery, 
L W. Monfort, Daniei Rice, D. D., A. C. 
Allen, H. Little, D. D., VV. T. Allen, 
J. L. Witherow, D. D.. J. T. Tuttle, D. 
D., and many others, who, giving valu- 
able aid to the regular supplies, have 
ministered to this congregation, for 
which privilege the hearers, I trust, will 
give account with joy and not with 
grief. 

These regular ministers, with di- 
verse gift-* or Lick of gifts, have 
each contributed somewhat to the pres- 
ent position of this church — each as the 
General for the lime being, of thi« little 
detachment of the sacramental army, 
has been praised or blamed for apparent 
victory or defeat. This is the law of so- 
cial life and organization that can not 
be avoided. "Like priest-like people," 
is the inspired expression. But, while 
we reverence the Divine appointment of 
the ministry, most emphatically do we 
say, the general is for the army, and the 
army for the country and the cause. A 
history of this church fully and suita- 
bly given, wowld add to these 
ministers many names of men and 
women and children, elders, deacons, 
trustees, building committees, Sabbath 
School superintendents and teachers, 
and working and praying women, not a 
few. Among these were Craig and Cory 
Richey and James Hamilton, and others 
who have gone from us to their final 
rest and reward. There are also men 
now living, such as J. M. Coyner, who 
with the dead, were, or are, the peers of 
any ministers on our roll in piety and 
usefulness. Especially do I wish to 
mention with honor the names of loyal 
ladies, living and dead, who have been 
faithful in times of trial, and modest in 
times of triumph ; who in the various 
circles for work and prayer have encour- 
aged the minister a»id pleased the Master. 
But the list is ton long and our informa- 
tion and power of discription too small 
for the tash. This is all I can say : 
Their record is on high, and the founda- 
tion of the Lord standeth sure, having 
this seal . The Lord kuoweth them that 
are his — we do not forget them. These 
forty odd years since the germ of Pres- 
byterianism appeared in Lebanon may 
be studied in chnpters and epochs. As 
e. g. when Presbyteries met here, 
when protracted meetings were held 
and revivals were enjoyed. There were 



16 



PKESBYTEKIANISM IN LEBANON. 



days of discipline— dark: and trying 
day^ enough, we hope, for many years 
to come. The educational work of Pres- 
hyteriani:5m in this community, as initi- 
ated and directed "by C K. Thompson 
and J. M. Covner, is worthy of grateful 
study. And house builaing, our present 
task, has pressed us hard on other shoul- 
ders. The 132 psalms, 4 and 5, has been 



the motto of other hearts than ours. 
How the past would instruct and en- 
courage, could we only learn and profit 
by its lesions! But this church has 
grown and will grow, in peaceful gov- 
ernment, by the Divinely appointed 
agerit. If we decrease, He will increase, 
j and to Him be the glory, now and ever^ 
Amen ! 









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